A Slow Week
Well, nothing major in the past week or two, with the exception of the signing of OT/OG Demingo Graham. The Cowboys had hoped to sign Texans FA Greg Randall, but apparently he is shopping himself around for the best pay day -he probably won't sign here...
Other than that old news, the Cowboys are in Florida attending the annual NFL Team meetings, which will wrap up April 1st. News is that Parcells is hard at work studying some film and taped interviews of potential draftees. We should expect the Cowboys to begin flying in a couple of guys that they may draft April24th-25th.
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3/31/2004
3/22/2004
The Offseason Thus Far
Who said the Cowboys were not doing anything to improve the team. Let's take a quick look back at what we've done thus far in the offseason.
For starters, we almost lost DC Mike Zimmerman. Jones/Parcells convinced him stay with the Cowboys rather than take the Huskers job that no one wanted.
Payton was to be the new Raiders Head Coach, but in the strangest twists of events, Payton bowed out, and decided to stay on with the Cowboys.
In addition, the Cowboys, fired their wide receiver coach McNulty, and hired WR Coach Todd Haley, who coincidently work for Parcells, and helped mold our Keyshawn into a ProBowl receiver. Utter brilliance by Parcells - I think he planned to get all three reunited - Parcells, Haley and now Keyshawn from the get-go.
The release of Toby Gowin :)
The release of Ryan Young - too many injuries and inconsistencies, he just didn't work out.
There was no question that DE was a need that should be addressed in the offseason, and the Cowboys had us sweating bullets, but ended up getting a player for a good deal and a lot of upside in Marcellus Wiley, formally of the Chargers. Wiley will be an immediate impact starter, and his presence will alleviate the double teams on Glover and Eliss. Great Pickup.
Then we have the Keyshawn for Galloway Trade. Did we ever think this deal was ever going to get done? It seemed dead, but Galloway manned up and decided to make some concessions to leave Dallas for Tampa. So, now we that "personality" in our WR core that should rev up the other receivers. Experience and team leadership under Parcells will make Keyshawn a well valued pick up.
Finally, we have the Drew Henson trade...we traded our 2005 3rd rounder to the Texans, and now we have a legitimate QB prospect who was highly rated coming out of Michigan, and if he would have re-entered the draft, he was rated as a late 1st to late 2nd rounder - not bad, BUT he will have a lot of work ahead of him. He is not penciled in as our starter, and we should realistically see him understudy this year, and then be fully ready by next season. Then again, you never know :) Let's see what happens here.
So, in retrospect, we have done ALOT to improve the team by keeping our coaching staff, and making calculated/pin-pointed player acquisitions w/Wiley,Keyshawn, and Drew Henson.
What's left to address? With out a doubt its the RB position - and lets be real about this, the players that are floating around out there are few and probably not worth being our undisputed workhorse. Draft 2004 will definitely address RB - count on it!
OT, could be shored up with some FA guys or cap casualty guys later, but could also be filled via the draft.
CB, is still a question mark. We need someone decent on the other side of our shutdown guy Newman. CB FA's are pretty much depleted of such talent. Don't be surprised if we re-sign Mario to another 1yr deal for insurance incase we don't get our guy via the Draft.
DT, is another position that will probably be looked at in the draft, along with WRs.
Who said the Cowboys were not doing anything to improve the team. Let's take a quick look back at what we've done thus far in the offseason.
For starters, we almost lost DC Mike Zimmerman. Jones/Parcells convinced him stay with the Cowboys rather than take the Huskers job that no one wanted.
Payton was to be the new Raiders Head Coach, but in the strangest twists of events, Payton bowed out, and decided to stay on with the Cowboys.
In addition, the Cowboys, fired their wide receiver coach McNulty, and hired WR Coach Todd Haley, who coincidently work for Parcells, and helped mold our Keyshawn into a ProBowl receiver. Utter brilliance by Parcells - I think he planned to get all three reunited - Parcells, Haley and now Keyshawn from the get-go.
The release of Toby Gowin :)
The release of Ryan Young - too many injuries and inconsistencies, he just didn't work out.
There was no question that DE was a need that should be addressed in the offseason, and the Cowboys had us sweating bullets, but ended up getting a player for a good deal and a lot of upside in Marcellus Wiley, formally of the Chargers. Wiley will be an immediate impact starter, and his presence will alleviate the double teams on Glover and Eliss. Great Pickup.
Then we have the Keyshawn for Galloway Trade. Did we ever think this deal was ever going to get done? It seemed dead, but Galloway manned up and decided to make some concessions to leave Dallas for Tampa. So, now we that "personality" in our WR core that should rev up the other receivers. Experience and team leadership under Parcells will make Keyshawn a well valued pick up.
Finally, we have the Drew Henson trade...we traded our 2005 3rd rounder to the Texans, and now we have a legitimate QB prospect who was highly rated coming out of Michigan, and if he would have re-entered the draft, he was rated as a late 1st to late 2nd rounder - not bad, BUT he will have a lot of work ahead of him. He is not penciled in as our starter, and we should realistically see him understudy this year, and then be fully ready by next season. Then again, you never know :) Let's see what happens here.
So, in retrospect, we have done ALOT to improve the team by keeping our coaching staff, and making calculated/pin-pointed player acquisitions w/Wiley,Keyshawn, and Drew Henson.
What's left to address? With out a doubt its the RB position - and lets be real about this, the players that are floating around out there are few and probably not worth being our undisputed workhorse. Draft 2004 will definitely address RB - count on it!
OT, could be shored up with some FA guys or cap casualty guys later, but could also be filled via the draft.
CB, is still a question mark. We need someone decent on the other side of our shutdown guy Newman. CB FA's are pretty much depleted of such talent. Don't be surprised if we re-sign Mario to another 1yr deal for insurance incase we don't get our guy via the Draft.
DT, is another position that will probably be looked at in the draft, along with WRs.
3/13/2004
The New Gun, Drew Henson - Armed & Dangerous!
So, we picked up Drew Henson, what does this mean?
It means Quincy is skating on thin ice, and if he continues to be make bad decisions, then you can bet the house that Henson will be ready to jump into action and show his stuff.
Henson is your typical prototype QB, great size, build and accurate!
Henson is about 6-4.5 235 lbs. and physically fit to play in the big leagues.
In summary, Henson is big, strong, and athlectic quarterback that exhibited his ability to lead the team downfield with accuracy and that field general leadership that is needed to run the soldiers downfield into enemy territory.
Henson, is a healthy-stout player that was never injured and never missed a game from any type of injury. He is quick off the snap, and knows how far to drop back. He won't hold the ball low, so we shouldn't see the ball come out - he has great hands and great quarterback mechanics.
If Henson gets in trouble, like a strong pass rush or blitz, Henson has the mobility to elude the unblocked pass rusher. Overall, we can expect Henson to have good awareness in the pocket. He's not known to throw those illadvised passes, so that is a big plus - he is smart and very coachable.
Henson has NFL arm strength, and can throw the bullet, dumpoff, deep ball and the light feather pass with accuracy.
Some reports I have found say that Henson's only weakness may be with timing patterns and look for other open receivers other than the primary WR. We will see...I'm sure Parcells and Payton will do a great job in preparing him for the next level.
OVERALL: Henson was highly sought after by many other NFL teams, because they scouted him before and knew what he was made of. Henson's strong arm and size are what NFL scouts like, and the Cowboys have made a wise decision. Henson has been playing sports since he left Michigan, so he is in great shape and has built some muscle mass to add to his build, so for a rookie, he has already progressed physically.
The Aikman comparisons have begun, and rightfully so...they both have that "look" and the build. Henson is just turned 24 Feb. 13...
Drew, Welcome to Dallas baby!
So, we picked up Drew Henson, what does this mean?
It means Quincy is skating on thin ice, and if he continues to be make bad decisions, then you can bet the house that Henson will be ready to jump into action and show his stuff.
Henson is your typical prototype QB, great size, build and accurate!
Henson is about 6-4.5 235 lbs. and physically fit to play in the big leagues.
In summary, Henson is big, strong, and athlectic quarterback that exhibited his ability to lead the team downfield with accuracy and that field general leadership that is needed to run the soldiers downfield into enemy territory.
Henson, is a healthy-stout player that was never injured and never missed a game from any type of injury. He is quick off the snap, and knows how far to drop back. He won't hold the ball low, so we shouldn't see the ball come out - he has great hands and great quarterback mechanics.
If Henson gets in trouble, like a strong pass rush or blitz, Henson has the mobility to elude the unblocked pass rusher. Overall, we can expect Henson to have good awareness in the pocket. He's not known to throw those illadvised passes, so that is a big plus - he is smart and very coachable.
Henson has NFL arm strength, and can throw the bullet, dumpoff, deep ball and the light feather pass with accuracy.
Some reports I have found say that Henson's only weakness may be with timing patterns and look for other open receivers other than the primary WR. We will see...I'm sure Parcells and Payton will do a great job in preparing him for the next level.
OVERALL: Henson was highly sought after by many other NFL teams, because they scouted him before and knew what he was made of. Henson's strong arm and size are what NFL scouts like, and the Cowboys have made a wise decision. Henson has been playing sports since he left Michigan, so he is in great shape and has built some muscle mass to add to his build, so for a rookie, he has already progressed physically.
The Aikman comparisons have begun, and rightfully so...they both have that "look" and the build. Henson is just turned 24 Feb. 13...
Drew, Welcome to Dallas baby!
3/11/2004
What happened?
I'm sure virtually every Cowboys fan is in utter dismay as to why we have not done anything to improve the team via Free Agency, not even "midrange guys." All the Upper Tier and Mid Tier guys are gone.
So, what can we logically deduce from this inactivity?
1. RB WILL be addressed via draft (1st Round)
2. OT Will be addressed via draft (3-5 rounds)
3. CB Will be addressed via draft (2-3 rounds)
4. QB could/might be addressed via draft (1-2rounds)
5. DE may be addressed via draft if we fail to sign Wiley (1-2 rounds)
Where do we stand on Keyshawn? With the Galloway trade all but dead, the Bucs will cut Keyshawn in the next (2) weeks, before the April 1st deadline for his roster hit. Then we will sign him - In the meantime, the Cowboys will continue to feel out any trade ops for Galloway, but they will ultimately cut him if there are no takers.
The David Boston RUMOR: Forget about it, do you really want to sign another injury prone WR? We are'nt going to go after Boston - we could keep Galloway if that's the case.
I'm sure virtually every Cowboys fan is in utter dismay as to why we have not done anything to improve the team via Free Agency, not even "midrange guys." All the Upper Tier and Mid Tier guys are gone.
So, what can we logically deduce from this inactivity?
1. RB WILL be addressed via draft (1st Round)
2. OT Will be addressed via draft (3-5 rounds)
3. CB Will be addressed via draft (2-3 rounds)
4. QB could/might be addressed via draft (1-2rounds)
5. DE may be addressed via draft if we fail to sign Wiley (1-2 rounds)
Where do we stand on Keyshawn? With the Galloway trade all but dead, the Bucs will cut Keyshawn in the next (2) weeks, before the April 1st deadline for his roster hit. Then we will sign him - In the meantime, the Cowboys will continue to feel out any trade ops for Galloway, but they will ultimately cut him if there are no takers.
The David Boston RUMOR: Forget about it, do you really want to sign another injury prone WR? We are'nt going to go after Boston - we could keep Galloway if that's the case.
3/03/2004
Free Agency Thin On Talent
At the beginning of the year there were a lot of big names out there that would become free agents, but as suspected, many of those big named players were given the Franchise Tag or Traded.
So are the Cowboys going to really battle it out to sign some of the tops guys remaining like Jevon Kearse, Grant Wistrom, or Duce Staley?
So far, it's expected that the 'Skins will blow more money and get Kearse, and Wistrom is leaning towards reuniting w/Vermeil in K.C.,...
At this time Staley is still out there, but probably not for much longer there are going to be other offers from Atlanta, Detroit, and Tampa.
Normally, the Cowboys don't rush into signing players, but this year they may need to bump it up a notch if they want to fill some key spots.
It's apparent that we are still in the market for a QB, keep your eye on a Henson trade, and we should also expect Garcia to workout with the Cowboys.
OT is another position that will be another priority, since we released Young, and the line is already thin as it is.
RB will need to be addressed with Garner or Staley, but Garner is likely to end up in Tampa, since Tampa lost Thomas Jones to the Bears today. Garner will likely sign with Chucky & Co. Staley would be the last viable RB out there, unless we were to trade for Dillon, which is looking bleak at this time.
DE should be addressed, but the talent pool will take a hit with Kearse and Wistrom if they sign elsewhere.
CB will be addressed, there are more players out there right now, so we should be able to land a legitimate CB.
Overall though, this Free Agency season is thin, and the Draft 2004 will be key for the Cowboys, in regards to filling thin player positions.
At the beginning of the year there were a lot of big names out there that would become free agents, but as suspected, many of those big named players were given the Franchise Tag or Traded.
So are the Cowboys going to really battle it out to sign some of the tops guys remaining like Jevon Kearse, Grant Wistrom, or Duce Staley?
So far, it's expected that the 'Skins will blow more money and get Kearse, and Wistrom is leaning towards reuniting w/Vermeil in K.C.,...
At this time Staley is still out there, but probably not for much longer there are going to be other offers from Atlanta, Detroit, and Tampa.
Normally, the Cowboys don't rush into signing players, but this year they may need to bump it up a notch if they want to fill some key spots.
It's apparent that we are still in the market for a QB, keep your eye on a Henson trade, and we should also expect Garcia to workout with the Cowboys.
OT is another position that will be another priority, since we released Young, and the line is already thin as it is.
RB will need to be addressed with Garner or Staley, but Garner is likely to end up in Tampa, since Tampa lost Thomas Jones to the Bears today. Garner will likely sign with Chucky & Co. Staley would be the last viable RB out there, unless we were to trade for Dillon, which is looking bleak at this time.
DE should be addressed, but the talent pool will take a hit with Kearse and Wistrom if they sign elsewhere.
CB will be addressed, there are more players out there right now, so we should be able to land a legitimate CB.
Overall though, this Free Agency season is thin, and the Draft 2004 will be key for the Cowboys, in regards to filling thin player positions.
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